UCF Football Commitments: Talking Kameron Moore and Leyton Nelson

Yesterday was a road day. Nothing like scouting Florida high school football, and the two stops that came about included Sanford (Fla.) Seminole and Orlando (Fla.) Boone. Each program has a commitment for UCF.

The reason for the trip was to simply see how each prospect performed in drills, as well as grasp how they interact with teammates and coaches. It’s important to know the mental makeup of a prospect as much as the physical makeup. Yesterday proved to be quite interesting as new information came about for each player. Before the written example of the practice findings, here’s a podcast highlighting both player’s practices and what it means for UCF Football recruiting:

Kameron Moore

Vitals: 6’0”, 205-pounds

Position: Linebacker

High School: Sanford (Fla.) Seminole

Class: 2022

Recruitment: Committed to UCF.

If you want a linebacker that pays attention to detail, understands the process of how a defense works together to bring down the ball carrier, and will be the one that teammates look towards for instruction, look no further than Moore.

During Thursday’s practice, Seminole coaches were implementing different aspects of the defense, i.e. base packages and blitz packages. Nothing surprising, just the normal fall camp routine. What was surprising would be how Moore and his teammates utilized this time to learn.

Moore not only knew his assignments, this young man took the time and directed other players. Sometimes it was before the snap, other times Moore provided information after a play. Either way, the interesting aspect of it would be how the other Seminole players reacted to Moore’s instruction.

Teenagers often scoff at being told what to do, especially by other players. That situation did not arise during Seminole’s practice. Moore directed, players listened, on to the next play. Impressive.

Almost to the point of shocking, actually. Moore earned the respect of his teammates already. Now Moore took steps to make sure that Seminole defends its 8A State Championship. The leadership and respect are key aspects of how one evaluates a recruit. How does this anecdote translate to UCF? It’s quite simple.

Once Moore arrives at UCF, the Knights will be receiving a player that absolutely loves to play football, and he also loves to learn every little piece of information that he can. To be a linebacker for UCF, that linebacker needs to understand a multitude of defensive plays and formations. Moore will happily learn the schemes and make sure others around him know their plays, too.

To summarize, Moore should be classified as a versatile linebacker. He could line up at several different positions for the Knights. It will be interesting to witness just how many roles Moore plays for UCF during his time in Orlando.

Leyton Nelson

Vitals: 6’6”, 285-pounds

Position: Offensive Tackle

High School: Orlando (Fla.) Boone

Class: 2022

Recruitment: Committed to UCF.

From watching Nelson, two things stood out. First, his overall pass protection skills, and his foot speed. Let’s start with the pass protection aspect of what Nelson displayed.

During a particular pass rush, the defensive end stemmed towards Nelson’s outside shoulder, essentially speed rushing. Nelson kept his base, extended his arms and “punched” the oncoming defensive end. The defensive end then changed course and went back inside. This moment would be when most offensive tackles would make a critical error, if not two or three errors.

Nelson kept his base, did not lunge, stayed with the defensive end by sliding inside while continuing to keep his arms extended without lunging. It might be the best rep this scout witnessed all year, Under Armour Combine (best of the best) or otherwise. The other aspect that proved to be noticeable would speed.

To play offensive tackle for UCF, Nelson will need to be able to reach the perimeter of the field and block defensive backs in space. It’s a dead sprint, slow down and gather, then make a block against a smaller player that will most likely do everything possible to sidestep Nelson.

Just watching the way Nelson ran gassers at the end of practice helped to solidify his junior film. The first clip from Nelson’s junior film would in fact be him sprinting out to block a cornerback. It was a great play.

Moving to Thursday, Nelson provided evidence that he’s in really good shape, as he out ran numerous Boone players that were smaller than him. That’s commitment to one’s craft. Nobody likes running gassers. While necessary, they are no fun. Nelson took the challenge and did so by defeating several smaller teammates.

It’s great to see that type of effort. Not every big-time recruit displayed that type of effort during trips around Florida and beyond during the past several months. Nelson gets “it” when defining the need to be an all-around athlete and train as hard as he plays during games. Well done.

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